Circuit breaker panel with provision for connecting supply lines alternatively to main input terminals on said panel or to main circuit breaker means connected to said input terminals

ABSTRACT

There is provided a panel adapted to have mounted thereon a plurality of automatic electric circuit breakers, preferably of the plug-in type, for branch circuits and provision is made to allow the coupling of electric supply lines, controlled externally of the panel box, to the input terminals on the panel, if so desired, or to prevent such coupling, if desired, and instead to couple circuit breaker means in the panel box to main breaker input terminals for the controlled supply of electricity to said panel box without decreasing the number of controlled branch circuits. The arrangement is such that the provision for alternatively coupling the said supply lines to the main circuit breaker input terminals or directly to said input terminals input terminals is mutually exclusive, i.e., the main circuit breaker cannot be plugged in if the said input are connected to supply line terminals and the supply lines cannot be connected to said input terminals if the main breaker is plugged into said input terminals.

United States Patent 1191' Norden I 1451 Apr. 30, 1974 [75] Inventor:Alexander R. Norden, New York,

[73] Assignee: General Switch Company, Great Neck, NY.

22 Filed: Dec. 18, 1972 21 App]. No.: 316,282

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 212,200, Dec.2, 1971,

Gyctko 317/119 Stokes 317/119 Jacobs 317/119 Primary Examiner-James R.Scott Assistant Examiner-Gerald P. Tolin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-HarryCohen [57] ABSTRACT There is provided a panel adapted to have mountedthereon a plurality of automatic electric circuit breakers, preferablyof the plug-in type, for branch circuits and provision is made to allowthe coupling of electric supply lines, controlled externally of thepanel box, to the input terminals on the panel, if so desired, or toprevent such coupling, if desired, and instead to couple circuit breakermeans in the panel box to main breaker input terminals for thecontrolled supply of electricity to said panel box without decreasingthe number of controlled branch circuits. The arrangement is such thatthe provision for alternatively coupling the said supply lines to themain circuit breaker input terminals or directly to said input terminalsinput terminals is mutually exclusive, i.e., the main circuit breakercannot be plugged in if the said input are connected to supply lineterminals and the supply lines cannot be connected to said inputterminals if the main breaker is plugged into said input terminals.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Pmmsnmam 3808507 SHEET 3 BF 3.

FIG?) CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL WITH PROVISION FOR CONNECTING SUPPLY LINESALTERNATIVELY TO MAIN INPUT TERMINALS ON SAID PANEL OR TO MAIN CIRCUITBREAKER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT TERMINALS This application is acontinuation of my Application Ser. No. 212,200 filed Dec. 27, 1971, nowabandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to a panel for mounting a plurality of automatic electriccircuit-breakers in an enclosure.

2. Description of the Prior Art Circuit-breaker panels disposed withinenclosures are well known as are circuit-breakers of the plug-in type.In this connection, reference may be made, for example, to US. Pat. Nos.2,440,824, 2,599,695, and 2,647,186. It is also well known to provide acircuitbreaker panel within an enclosure, the panel having branchcircuit-breaker mountings and main input terminals to which electricsupply lines fused and/or therwise controlled externally of the panelenclosure are connected. I

There are many known circuit-breaker panels which have main lugs orinput terminals and which can be used as main breaker panels by mountinga breaker in one of the branccircuit positions and connecting the supplylines to the input terminals of said main breaker. Such arrangements areundesirable because (1) by plugging a main breaker into a branch-circuitposition, the number of branch-circuit mountings is decreased, and (2)the main lugs are thus converted to subfeed lugs, which is a conditionnot permitted by many utilities.

In order to overcome this problem, some panels on the market haveneither main connectorsnor a main breaker, but in such cases, it isnecessary to provide a lug kit or a main breaker kit for fieldinstallation in the panels. This requirement for field installation thuscreates another problem involving possibilities of error, poor orincorrect connections, added installation time and costs, etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, thepanel is so constructed that it may be energized directly at its inputterminals by supply lines fused and/or otherwise controlled externallyof the enclosure, if that is desired by the supervisory authority, or bycircuit-breaker means coupled to said input terminals and arranged toprevent coupling of the externally controlled supply lines to the inputterminals of the panel. The arrangement is such that the provision foralternatively coupling the circuit-breaker means to the input terminalsor said supply lines to said input terminals is mutually exclusive,i.e., the main breaker cannot be plugged into the input terminals if thesupply lines are connected thereto and the supply lines cannot beconnected to said terminals if the main breaker is plugged into saidterminals. A single panel of this construction can thus be employed inaccordance with the wishes of the supervisory authority and therebyobviates the need for the provision of two panel box units to satisfythe wishes of the authority.

The provision of such simple panel and the elimination of theabovementioned objections to and difficulties with known panels'are theprimary objectsof the present invention.

It is to be noted that in accordance with the present invention and theobjects thereof, the panel has the number of branch circuits for whichit was intended to have notwithstanding the use of a maincircuit-breaker thereon and the use of said breaker does not result inconverting the main input lugs or terminals into subfeed terminals orlugs. It is to be noted further that the mere provision of extra stabson the panel for a main circuit-breaker would not solve the abovementioned problems nor satisfy the objects and advantages of the presentinvention, since if main lugs are used the extra stabs merelyconstitute, in effect, another branch position, thereby exceeding thedesigned number of branch positions; and if a main breaker is used withsuch extra stabs, the main lugs are in a sub-feed circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of thepanel; FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of one end of the panel;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The panel 10 ofthe present invention, in its presently preferred embodiment, comprisessupporting means here shown as a metal plate 12 having a layer ofinsulating sheet material 14 thereon. Plate 12 is provided with maininput terminals 16 and 18 integral with or otherwise secured to busparts 20 and 22, respectively, secured to said plates and insulatedtherefrom by sheet 14.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 4, each of said input terminalscomprises a member 24 having an open-end recess 26 to receive anelectric supply line (not shown). A screw 28 is in threaded engagementin a threaded opening 30 communicating with recess 26 to clamp a supplyline in said recess.

Input terminal 16 has an integral portion 30 provided with a stab 32which engages the companion terminal parts 34 of a plug-in circuitbreaker 36 (FIGS. 5 and 6). Terminal 18 is provided with a stab 38 whichengages between the companion contact members 40 of the plug-incircuit-breaker 42. Breakers 40 are secured to each other and provide adouble pole circuit breaker means to which the stabs 32 and 38 of theinput terminals l6 and 18 are adapted to be connected when saidcircuit-breaker means is in plugged-in position as illustrated in FIG.5.

Terminal 16 has a branch support stab terminal 44 having end stabs 46and 48. Said stab terminal 44 is integral with part 50 of the bus bar20. Stab terminals 52 and 54 are integral with the bus bars 20 and 22,respectively. Stab terminals 44 and 54 form a pair to engage 3 withcompanion plug-in terminals of plug-in circuitbreakers such as thebreakers 36, 42. Suchbreakers have open end recesses'indicated at 56 inFIGS. 5 and 6, and also as shown by US. Pat. Nos. 2,599,695 and2,647,186 to receive the hook elements 58. The

breaker support of the panel is provided with hook elements 60 attheopposite sides of the panel so that a plurality of branchcircuit-breakers can be arranged laterally of each in two rows on thepanel with the breakers in one row in end to end relation with thebreakers in the other row, as is well known in panels of the type towhich this invention relates. Stab terminals 52, 54 and 56 as well aspart 50 of the bus bar are disposed over a rigid plate 62 of insulationmaterial, which is secured to plate 12 by screws 64 received inprojecting recessed members 66 integral with plate 62.

As above indicated, access by the supply lines to the terminals 16 and18 or at least to one of said terminals may be prevented when thecircuit breaker means 36, 42 is plugged-in to the stabs 32, 38 since oneside of the circuit-breaker 36 and one end of circuit-breaker 38 blockthe entrance or recesses 30 of said input terminals 16 and 18,respectively. When circuit-breaker means 36, 42 is positioned inengagement with stabs 32 and 38 current is supplied to input terminals16 and 18 by connecting the supply lines to breakers 36,42 in a wellknown way.

Thus it will be understood when it is desired to control the supply ofelectricity to the input terminals 16, 18 through control means disposedexternally of the panel box, the circuit-breaker means 36, 42 is removedfrom the panel and supply lines are connected directly to the inputterminals 16 and 18. On the other hand, when it is desired to supplycurrent to the input terminals through control means disposed within thepanel box, the circuit-breaker means 36, 12 is plugged-in. Thus it isseen that a panel may be readily converted from a condition in which thesupply lines are connected directly to the input terminals oralternatively through control means such as the circuit-breaker means36, 42 so that the panel may be used either way 4 according to thewishesof authorized supervisory personnel.

The arrangement according to the present invention provides a set of.stabs and a set of connectors so arranged that their use is mutuallyexclusive. lf the main lugs are used, the stabs become unusable; if amain breaker is used, the lugsare inaccessible. The number of branchcircuits does not change, and there is no field installation ofauxiliary components.

While I have shown and described the preferred em bodiment of myinvention it will be understood that the invention may be embodiedotherwise than as herein expressly shown or described and that in saidembodiment certain changes in the details or construction and in thearrangement of parts may be made without departing from the inventionwithin the scope of the appended claims.

What 1 claim is:

1. An electric circuit-breaker panel having thereon a plurality ofbranch-circuit connection means, main input terminal means coupled tosaid branch circuit connection means and provided with a recess for aninput line connection, and main circuit-breaker means mechanically andelectrically coupled to said main input terminal means exclusive of saidrecess and blocking said recess to the input line, thereby providing amechanical obstruction which prevents electrical coupling of the inputline to said main input terminal means.

2. An electric circuit-breaker panel according to claim 1, wherein saidmain circuit breaker means is removably mounted on said panel wherebythe removal of said main circuit-breaker means ipso facto removes saidobstruction.

3. An electric circuit-breaker panel according to claim 1, wherein saidmain circuit breaker means is removably mounted on said panel wherebythe removal of said main circuit-breaker means ipso factor removes saidobstruction, and electric supply lines connected directly to said maininput terminal means only when

1. An electric circuit-breaker panel having thereon a plurality ofbranch-circuit connection means, main input terminal means coupled tosaid branch circuit connection means and provided with a recess for aninput line connection, and main circuit-breaker means mechanically andelectrically coupled to said main input terminal means exclusive of saidrecess and blocking said recess to the input line, thereby providing amechanical obstruction which prevents electrical coupling of the inputline to said main input terminal means.
 2. An electric circuit-breakerpanel according to claim 1, wherein said main circuit breaker means isremovably mounted on said panel whereby the removal of said maincircuit-breaker means ipso facto removes said obstruction.
 3. Anelectric circuit-breaker panel according to claim 1, wherein said maincircuit breaker means is removably mounted on said panel whereby theremoval of said main circuit-breaker means ipso factor removes saidobstruction, and electric supply lines connected directly to said maininput terminal means only when said main circuit-breaker means isremoved.